Download PCDJ VJ! - Bekafun

Welcome to PCDJ VJ!
PCDJ VJ is revolutionary software which allows audio and video mixing right from a computer. We
designed PCDJ VJ to be simple and intuitive to use but do not be fooled — there are many advanced
features to explore and customize.
PCDJ VJ features everything you need for imaginative performance and mixing:
Two virtual decks for loading audio and video tracks, short clips and karaoke
Extensive browsing functions utilizing ID3 Tag and custom information fields
Comprehensive mixer with all the features that you would expect from a traditional
mixer (EQ, gain, crossfader)
Audio and video effects processors
ClipBank for playing back video clips on the fly
Smart and User-Defined (IN/OUT) Looping engine
Easy one-touch crossfade for video transistions
Additionally, PCDJ VJ includes many innovative features to help you spend less time with the tedious,
time-consuming aspects of DJing and mixing:
Analysis of Beats Per Minute (BPM) and Key detection for Harmonic Mixing
Automatic beat matching for quick mixing
Smart Play for accurate every time on beat start to your mix
Computer Beat Grid for easy visual mixing
Dynamic Hot Cue points
We developed PCDJ VJ to be the most complete and extensive DJ software on the market today. We
have provided an exhaustive set of features for you to take advantage of and create great mixes.
Whether you are a beginner or a professional DJ, you will find working inside PCDJ VJ to be fun,
intuitive and highly efficient.
We highly recommend reading this manual in its entirety before you begin using PCDJ VJ — it will
help you learn and understand all of its many features so you can get the most out of your PCDJ VJ.
We sincerely hope that you enjoy this great product!
PCDJ VJ Manual v 5.2
-2-
CONTENTS
Installation Instructions
User Interface – Record case /File Browser
Browser
Navigation
Microphone Control
File Browser
Icon Key
Wait List
Searching
What can be searched?
ID3 Tag Support
Track Options
BPM Analysis and Key Detection
Favorite and Virtual Folders
User Interface - Controls
Deck Controls
Production (Mixer) Controls
Rhythm Window
Top Toolbar Controls
Status Messages
Configuration Settings
Sound Setup
Options
Performance Settings
Keyboard Shortcuts
Remote Control
Codecs
Video
Info
Audio Effects
Video
Video Effects
Video Transitions
Karaoke and Rotation List Plug-in
AutoMix / MixNow
Manual BPM Correction
4
5
6
7
8
8
9
9
10
11
13
13
14
15
19
21
22
22
23
24
26
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
41
42
Legal Information
43
PCDJ VJ Manual v 5.2
-3-
INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS
PCDJ VJ installs files into the following locations:
Default application path –
C:\Program Files\Digital1Audio\PCDJ VJ
All Application Configuration, Plug-in, Skins, Database, and Support Files are stored in –
Windows XP:
Windows VISTA:
C:\Documents and Settings\username\My Documents\PCDJ VJ
C:\Users\%username%\Documents\PCDJ VJ
*For Power Users who have changed the location of their My Documents from the default Microsoft
setting your new/copied files are stored there in the PCDJ VJ folder. To check, right-click on the My
Document icon and look at the property setting for Target.
The Core PCDJ VJ Database is titled - PCDJ VJ Database.xml
The PCDJ VJ Database system segments the database to each drive attached to the system. Each
additional database file will be found on the ROOT of that drive and is titled – PCDJ VJ Local
Database.xml
What is stored in the database files?
Path to the file
Analyzed data about the tracks
ID3 Tag Display Information
Automix Information
The ‘split’ database files provide users of external hard drives the ability to COLD or HOT SWAP
drives between single and/or multiple systems. This allows for multiple DJs of a club or venue to
utilize 1 PCDJ VJ installation and not have different logins in order to maintain separate databases
unique to each DJ. The DJ can just walk in, plug in the external device and begin playing.
PCDJ VJ Manual v 5.2
-4-
INTERFACE
Before beginning to use VJ, familiarize yourself with the controls and “zones” of the software. Let’s
begin by becoming familiar with the most important features of the software.
1. BROWSER I EFFECTS
Browse your music folders, Adjust effects video, and audio
2. DECK 1 CONTROLS
Drag and drop music from the browser to this virtual deck. Track title,
beats per minute display, counters, Transport Control
3. DECK 2 CONTROLS
Drag and drop music from the browser to this virtual deck. Track title,
beats per minute display, counters, Transport Control
4. MIXER ZONE
Crossfader, Volume PFL Controls
5. RHYTHM WINDOW
This window tracks the waveform of each song loaded or playing on a
deck. This area also features a Computer Beat Grid (CBG) used for
visual mixing and beat-matching.
PCDJ VJ Manual v 5.2
-5-
BROWSER
The Browser Zone is where to navigate and organize files stored on a local, external, or network hard
disk. The browser contains the compatible file types (i.e. whose extensions are associated with the
decoders in VJ) to access the compatible extensions list. Click the “Setup” menu then choose the
“Codecs” tab. See the “Codecs” section of the manual for further details.
The Browser Zone is divided into 3 sections – Navigation, File Browser and Wait List.
Navigation
The navigation section provides the access to your music collection through several methods.
My Computer – This is the same as using the My Computer icon on your desktop to browse
through your computer’s hard drives and folders.
Desktop – Same as if you were to browse through your computer starting from the desktop.
History – access to the automatically generated session play lists
Genres – navigate your collection using the track’s Genre field data stored in the database
[Favorite Folders] – a shortcut entry to a specific folder on the hard drive
[Virtual Folders] – a folder that is manually populated for making a specific collection of tracks
The navigation section also provides Quick Filter buttons to limit the type of music to display in the file
browser.
All Files – default, so all supported file types that exist in the navigated location or when using
the search
Audio – only show content that is of the supported audio formats
Karaoke – only show content that is of the supported karaoke formats
Video – only show content that is of the supported video formats
In addition to the navigation tree and quick filter buttons, you can use the Browser and Effects buttons
to toggle between the Effects and File Browser navigation panels.
PCDJ VJ Manual v 5.2
-6-
Navigation Panel Actions/Features
VJ can perform the following data management features from the
navigation panel when you right-click on an object (not all features
are available for every object).
Recurse – process that retrieves all the files from the parent folder
(where the Recurse is initiated) and all sub-folders of that structure,
and displays the retrieved contents in the center file browser. The
Recurse option will not show if the selected folder doesn’t have subfolders.
When performing a recurse on an existing or newly added folder VJ
will add database entries for new content. By default new data is
immediately added to the Search DB
Rename – provides a dialog box for renaming a folder
Delete, Move to, Copy to – provides the Delete, Move to, Copy to functions for maintaining your
collection
Set / Remove favorite – use to add or remove Favorite folders from the navigation panel
Add / Remove from Search DB – use to add or remove content from the Search DB
Scan for Tags – use to scan the selected item and it’s substructure for MP3 ID3 tag information
Scan for BPMs – use to force the analyzing of the tracks for identifying the beats per minute (BPM) of
a song.
MICROPHONE CONTROL
Just to the left of the navigation panel is the microphone control. To use the computer’s
microphone with VJ, ensure that it is plugged into the computer’s microphone jack and
functioning correctly. With the microphone properly configured, you can control the volume
level of the microphone output using the fader. (Please refer to your soundcard’s
documentation for setting up a microphone).
PCDJ VJ Manual v 5.2
-7-
BROWSER
File Browser
VJ provides several elements of information about each track. By default the title of the song and
artist are listed for each file along with columns for beats per minute (BPM) and duration (Length),
additional columns, explained further in the manual (page 12). The width size for each column can
be modified by dragging the respective edges of the columns. By clicking on a column the contents of
the file browser are sorted. For example, clicking on the artist column sorts the browser by artist
initially in ascending order. Click again for descending.
The tracks’ title and artist are automatically filled in, if the file is named according to two standard
conventions, i.e. (artist) title.ext OR artist - title.ext . With MP3 audio files, if the ID3 Tag contains the
appropriate information then it is read from the ID3 Tag and stored to the VJ database.
The BPM and length information is analyzed and calculated automatically when a track is loaded to
either deck. To force analyze multiple tracks, click and highlight the desired tracks; then right click
and select the appropriate BPM analyze option from the pop-up menu. All gathered track information
is then stored inside the respective drive database files for later recall and saved at time of discovery
or data entry immediately to the database(s).
Icon key
As you navigate through the various storage locations specific icons are used to identify the type
and/or status of the tracks in the file browser.
Audio Track
Audio Track
Audio Track
Karaoke Track
Video Track
Played Track
Linked Video
PCDJ VJ Manual v 5.2
– Has not been played and within the pitch range of current playing track
– Has not been played and outside the pitch range of current playing track
– Has not been analyzed
– Has not been played and within the pitch range of current playing track
– Has not been played
– Has already been played during the session
– Indicates file with a linked video
-8-
Wait List
The Wait List can be used to hold tracks that you
will play sometime during your session. It also
provides a location for VJ to move tracks that
were loaded but never played because you
loaded a new track to the deck. The Wait List
can also be use to stage and construct VirtualFolders by drag-and-drop of tracks to the panel.
Auto-Load from Wait List
Using the AutoMix button, VJ will automatically load the first track in the Wait List and activate the
AutoMix feature. When the already playing song finishes the newly loaded track will play. If you wish
to have the loaded track begin playing immediately, then a custom keyboard shortcut can be created.
See the Keyboard Shortcuts section (page 28) for more information.
AutoSave Unplayed
Using the setup option “AutoSave Unplayed”, tracks that are added to a deck but then never played
and replaced by a new selection, the unplayed track is sent to the Wait List. The Wait List becomes a
dynamic ‘request/reminder’ list of what was selected at one time to be played but then replaced by
another track.
SEARCHING
VJ provides an intuitive on the fly search capability. As tracks are discovered for the first time they
are added to the database and made available to the search engine. Files are discovered and added
by either browsing to the location of the new tracks, or by using the ‘Recurse’ feature in the
Navigation Panel.
Another option is to manually add the files to the search. This requires using the ‘Add to Search DB’
option to be selected when right clicking on a file, selection of files, folder, or favorite folder. In either
scenario, once added to the Search; the ability to find the file is always available when doing a
search. The difference in the results display of the search, determines if it is in the current selected
folder or elsewhere in the system.
The search field is located at the top of the browser panel. To search the files listed in the database,
left click on the search field then type your search text. Searching is instant and it is generally not
necessary to type the text in its entirety — a few letters are enough to reduce the list to the single title.
If you want to limit the search results to specific types of file, click on the appropriate file type button
at the top of the Navigation Panel to only show Audio, or show Videos, or show Karaoke types.
If your search does not produce any results, you can ‘save’ the search criteria to a text file. Click on
the
graphic to the right of the search bar. This will save the search criteria to a file called
“SearchLog.txt” and can be found in your My Documents -> PCDJ VJ folder.
PCDJ VJ Manual v 5.2
-9-
In the following example, a search on ‘Brown’ is entered into the search box. The center file browser
panel displays the results of the search. The file(s) listed above the dividing line represent the file(s)
found in the folder that is currently highlighted in the left navigation panel. All other files below the
dividing line are files that exist elsewhere in the database.
What can be searched?
Searching in VJ is versatile and variable. What is meant by that? Just to the
right of the search box there is a “search fields” selection button. Click on the
bull’s eye circle and a list of 10 searchable fields is presented.
Depending on what fields are selected, the search results will vary. To ensure
maximum results for all searches, select all the fields and the maximum
search capabilities are available all the time.
To browse the entire database contents just enter an asterisk ( * ) as the
search string and now the entire database is displayed.
VJ also provides expanded search features for more creative searching.
One way of being more creative is when searching on BPM. If the BPM is
checked, enter 110-120 in the Search box and the results displayed will be tracks in the range of 110
to 120 BPM.
Key Visual Indicators displayed in the Browser
Asterisk ( * ) in BPM column – identifies tracks that have a pronounced beats per minute (BPM)
rhythm for use with Beatlock and Tempo Automix actions
Exclamation ( ! ) in Time column – indicates that the file is corrupted (probably following a bad
remote loading) and that it may finish abruptly or there may be excessive noise in the track
PCDJ VJ Manual v 5.2
- 10 -
ID3 TAG SUPPORT
ID3 Tag support is not the same support that other applications implement. Adding direct ID3 Tag
access to every file would have considerably SLOWED VJ’s ability for browsing and search as
experienced in other applications.
VJ stores identified ID3 Tag fields as part of its own database and the stored data can be updated at
anytime. Because tag data is not direct access, any of the information can be changed using the File
Info dialog and it will not affect the core ID3 Tag info of the file. Also, since video type files don’t have
ID3 Tags, VJ is able to make these fields available for storing information about the video.
Retrieving ID3 Tag Data
The way of retrieving ID3 Tag information is by right clicking on a file in the browser and selecting File
Info. The below dialog displays the database stored information along with the ID3 Tag information
that is retrievable.
button underneath will have the read ID3 Tag info next to it. Click on the button
Each field with a
to copy that data into the PCDJ VJ data field. This data will be stored and used by the PCDJ VJ
database. The
next to the Filename field is used to parse the file name into the Artist and Title.
PCDJ VJ Manual v 5.2
- 11 -
Another method of retrieving ID3 Tag info is through the browser directly with multiple files selected.
The options from File Infos are –
ƒ
ƒ
ƒ
ƒ
ƒ
Title from tag
Title from filename
Reload tag
Erase comment
Download cover
Displaying PCDJ VJ data fields (ID3 Tag) Columns
In the file browser, right click on any column and choose from the pop-up list
any or all of the available data fields. Changing the order of the columns is
very easy by selecting the Order… option from the bottom of the list.
Then in the presented dialog choose the order by highlighting the field and
using the up and down arrows. Also add or remove fields from the display by
selecting the check box for the field.
Non-Traditional ID3 Tag Data Field Explanations
Key – stores the analyzed key value of a song for use doing Harmonic Mixing.
Camelot – stores the Camelot key code based on the analyzed key value.
Play Count – stores the running play count of the track
First Seen – stores the date of when the track was first added to the database
First Play – stores the date of when track was first ever played
Last Play – stores the date of when the track was last played
Drive, Filepath, Filename, Filetype, Filesize, Filedate – stores the system data
about the track
LinkedVideo – shows the filename of the video file linked to the audio file
Composer – used for storing the Composer information for a track.
PCDJ VJ Manual v 5.2
- 12 -
TRACK OPTIONS
Right click on a track displays many options:
Preview – open a mini audio player for previewing a song
without adding to a deck.
File Operations – copy, move, and delete files (a warning
is displayed on deleting a file)
File Info – open the File Info dialog
BPM – manually force the analyzing of a track
Remove from Search DB – removing songs from the
search database.
Remove video link – remove the link to a video file
BPM ANALYSIS AND KEY DETECTION
The BPM Engine analyzes the audio to determine the tempo of the track. To analyze a track can be
performed 2 ways – Load the track to a deck or right-click on the track in the Brower panel and select
BPM -> Re-Analyze. To analyze a group of tracks, from the left Navigation panel right-click on a
folder and select Scan for BPMs.
If the tracks have been analyzed by an external application prior to being loaded into VJ and that
value is stored in the BPM ID3 Tag, then BPM Engine will use the stored value as a reference when
analyzing the track. VJ will calculate a more precise value (0.05 BPM precise) not more than +/- 1
BPM away from the value of the tag. It will never try a greater difference.
Part of the BPM Engine is also a Key Detection Engine. Determining the ‘musical key’ of a track
allows for the ability to harmonically mix tracks that necessarily would not typically be mixed together.
However, because the two tracks harmonically blend, the mix can sound clean and be pleasing to the
ear. Harmonic mixing or “Mixed in Key” is the base for modern
Mash-up style tracks. The Key Detection Engine strongly favors
minor keys, as most songs played by DJs are in minor key. But if the
key is strongly major, it'll still be reported as a major.
Another NEW addition to the BPM detection is the inclusion of the
Beat Tap action. By left-clicking on the BPM button for the
corresponding track one can tap out the beat of the track from the
skin. Also the keyboard shortcut action - beat_tap - can be assigned
to a keyboard key. The beat_tap action can also be added to a
controller’s mapper for tap capabilities straight from the controller.
Camelot Sound Easymix System
If the BPM (or the Key) is manually entered using the File Info http://www.harmonic-mixing.com/overview/easymix.mv
dialog, then VJ will remember this and will not analyze the BPM or
Key unless forced by selecting the BPM -> Re-Analyze function. So a song analyzed by prior versions
will be reanalyzed. But a song where the BPM was manually changed in prior versions will not be
automatically reanalyzed.
PCDJ VJ Manual v 5.2
- 13 -
FAVORITE AND VIRTUAL FOLDERS
In order to simplify browsing and provide better and robust file management capability, VJ provides
two methods to organize your collection. From the navigation panel’s border are two (2) folder
options:
Create Favorite Folder (monitored folder)
– pick a folder from the drive to always display in the browser
Create Virtual Folder (unmonitored folder)
– create a folder for manually populating with specific files
Right clicking on either of these folders provides access to various operations. For Favorite folders
options include Add or Remove contents of favorite to Search DB, and BPM Analyze options. Virtual
folders have a Rename option. All folders have options for moving the order of the folders up and
down in the tree and for removing or deleting the folder.
FAVORITE FOLDERS
A DJ may want to define a collection of directories which are most frequently used – for example,
“Hits of 2006” or “My Music.” The best solution is using the Favorite Folders. Think of Favorite Folders
as Shortcuts to a folder in the operating system.
To setup a Favorite Folder, browse the Desktop navigation item from the File System/Folder
Structure panel to the desired folder location. Click and highlight the desired folder, then click the
yellow favorite folder icon
.
The directory selected will be added to the end of the list, on the same level as the “Desktop” folder.
To remove a favorite folder reference, select it and click the icon again. The same actions can be
taken by right-clicking on the desired folder and choosing “Set as favorite” from the menu. And, to
remove a favorite folder simply right-click on the favorite and choose “Remove from favorite”.
VIRTUAL FOLDERS
Virtual Folders aid in quick access to tracks. A virtual folder holds a collection of shortcuts to tracks
like a playlist does in some of the common media players.
Create a virtual folder by clicking on the red Virtual Folder icon
and giving the new folder a title.
Now browse the database or run various searches looking for tracks that are being grouped together.
Drag and drop the tracks into the new Virtual Folder and next time you want to play these tracks refer
to the virtual folder.
Please note that dragging tracks into a virtual folder will not physically move the files into that folder, it
will only create a shortcut to where the files are located. And, to remove a virtual folder, right-click on
it and select “Delete.”
PCDJ VJ Manual v 5.2
- 14 -
DECK CONTROLS
There are two virtual “decks” on the screen. Drag and drop track into each of the decks to load your
selection. The two decks are equipped with the following controls and displays:
1. Track Information – Time Remaining (Left side), Time Elapsed (Right side), BPM (to 3
decimal postions), Pitch, Gain, and Key (Standard and Camelot notations) (Center) can be
viewed by clicking on the skin area and it will rotate through the items, Artist and Track Title.
2. Track Wave Form - This view shows the visual waveform of the entire track, allows for
viewing the remaining duration of the audio, as well as what has already been played. When
highlighted, that area of the waveform indicates what has been played and the current
position of the audio. The remaining grey area of the waveform shows the length of the audio
remaining. Inside the waveform itself, the lighter part indicates the presence of beats whereas
the darker part indicates the presence of vocals.
3. Visual Display – First and foremost VJ is a Video DJ application, so each deck is
equipped with a display to view the video portion of the track.
PCDJ VJ Manual v 5.2
- 15 -
4. Transport Controls
Cue – Used to set the first cue position in a track. While the track is being played,
selecting the “Cue” button will return and pause the track to the first cue position. To
set a cue position, play and then pause or seek the track to a desired position (for
example by clicking on wave form and move to desired point), then click on “Cue”.
Additionally during the playing of a track, a right-click on the “Cue” button will set the
first cue position at the desired location without pausing the track. When at the first
cue position, pressing and holding down “Cue” allows for temporary play of this point.
To delete a cue position, right-click on the position marker on the waveform display,
and select “Delete”. You can also give a cue position an alternative name by rightclicking the position marker and selecting the ‘Rename’ option.
Stutter/Play with Smart Play - Starts the music. Pressing “Stutter/Play” while the
song is already playing, will restart the music from the last position you pressed “Play”
from, creating a “stutter” effect.
With Smart Play activated (circle to the bottom right of the play button) the track with
snap to an on beat position with the currently playing track.
Pause - Stops the audio where it is currently playing. Subsequent clicks while
stopped cycles through the beginning of the song and all the Cue Points. Rightclicking while stopped automatically goes to the first detected beat in the song.
5. Effects
Effects Selection Dropdown arrow - Select which effect to apply.
Effects Selection Dropdown window - When clicked this will apply the effect
selected.
Parameter 1 & 2 knobs - These two knobs adjust parameters of the effect selected in
the dropdown window, although not all effects require or make use of these knobs.
6. Loop Set /Control
Loop In/Out - A loop is any area of a track that repeats seamlessly. Press “Loop In” at
the point where the loop is to start. Press “Loop Out” when the desired point to mark
the end point of the loop. To release the loop and continue play of the track press
“Loop Out” again and the audio will continue from the end point of the loop. To set a
new loop, repeat the process at the new In point.
Smart Lock button - Allows the loop buttons to work together to create loops
synchronized to BPM.
Loop Length Arrows – Navigate through the displayed 2,4,8, and 16 beat measure
quick loops, to include 5 hidden loop settings (1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 1, and 32).
Quick Loop Buttons – there are 4 quick loop buttons for 2, 4, 8, and 16 beat
measures.
PCDJ VJ Manual v 5.2
- 16 -
7. Channel Gain
The slider sets the gain level for the corresponding channel (deck).
Left click – moves the gain to the desired position, or used to drag the slider to
a specific position.
Double Left click – moves the gain to the analyzed level (usually 0db)
Right click – moves the gain to the desired position in a momentary mode.
Once the mouse button is released the slider goes back to it’s previous
position
8. Channel Level
Adjust the audio signal level of the desired channel.
Left click – moves the level to the desired position, or used to drag the slider to
a specific position.
Double Left click – moves the level to the zero ( 0 )
Right click – moves the level to the desired position in a momentary mode.
Once the mouse button is released the slider goes back to it’s previous
position
9. Play Modifiers
Sync – When clicking “Sync”, VJ will sync the tempo of the deck to the opposite
deck’s tempo.
Press “Sync” while the song is paused, only the pitch will be adjusted.
Press “Sync” while the song is playing, the beats will be smoothly aligned too.
Right-click on “Sync”, the song will start already aligned on the next beat.
(Attention: the right-click sync doesn’t use the Computed Beat Grid (CBG) but instead
aligns the next audible beat. This behavior lets you purposely start on half or a quarter
notes for special effects, but the downside is that it won’t work during a break or when
there is no audible beats).
Reverse Play – use to send the track in a ‘reverse’ play mode
Left/Right Jump – use to jump into or back through the track at 4 beat measures.
10. Equalizers (EQ)
These knobs allow you to adjust the low, mid, and high frequencies of the audio
playing on the desired channel of the mixer. Each frequency range can also be cut by
pressing the corresponding “Kill” button.
PCDJ VJ Manual v 5.2
- 17 -
11. TAP and Edit BPM
By left clicking on the BPM button to the beat of the track, VJ will count and process
the taps to determine the tracks BPM. Right click on the button opens BPM Edit
window. For more information see the BPM Correction.
KeyLock
When activated the changing of the pitch (speed) of the song keeps the vocals of the
track in key. Great for mixing between songs that otherwise would be too fast or slow
to mix. Keylock can be enabled at any point along the pitch range to maintain the
desired key at that pitch, while still being able to further adjust the pitch of the song.
When disabled, the key of the vocals will change based on the pitch used – slower
pitch = slower deeper tone, faster pitch – faster higher (chipmunk) tone.
12. Pitch slider / Pitch buttons
Controls the speed/pitch of the music. By moving the slider downward the speed of
the music speeds up. When moved upward the speed slows down. The “R” (Reset)
button lets you smoothly bring the pitch back to 100%. Double click on it to bring it
back instantly.
The two Pitch buttons are used to temporarily change the speed of the track playing.
This is useful when you want to make a quick adjustment to a track if the beat of the
track is not exactly matching up with the beat of the track playing on the other deck.
The speed will be affected as long as you are pressing down “+” or “-“.
PCDJ VJ Manual v 5.2
- 18 -
PRODUCTION ( MIXER ) CONTROLS
Being first and foremost a Video DJ application, the center panel is the video production (mixer) area.
Here you control fades, effects and other aspects of producing your video show.
1. Master Output Video – shows what is currently being sent to the Master Output of your
system.
2. Video Effects – select the desired effect using the pull-down menu and then click on the
box to activate it.
FX Parameter modifier – (found next to the preview windows in the deck controls) –
used to modify the primary parameter of the effect for creating more dynamic and beat
responsive effects.
3. Transition Effects – select the desired transition for the video crossfader by using the
pull-down menu and then click on the box to activate it.
PCDJ VJ Manual v 5.2
- 19 -
4. Video Crossfader
Crossfader – slide the fader left or right to crossfade between the two decks’ video
output
Smooth Fade buttons – left click on the buttons to begin an automatic smooth
crossfade of the video output. Right click on the buttons to activate a momentary cut
effect, when released the fader goes back to it’s last position
Cut, Step and Center buttons – use the Cut (outer set) to perform a Full Cut
transition. Using the Step buttons (either side of center button) to perform a stepped
transition. There are 5 step positions Full Left, 1/2 left, Center, 1/2 Right, and Full
Right. Use the Center button to position the fader in the center position.
Link Fader Lock – use to lock the video fader with the audio fader. Using any of the
video crossfader options will not affect the video fader, but ALL audio fader options
will force the video fader to perform the same actions.
5. Audio Crossfader
Crossfader – slide the fader left or right to crossfade between the two decks’ audio
output
Cut, Step and Center buttons – use the Cut (outer set) to perform a Full Cut
transition. Using the Step buttons (either side of center button) to perform a stepped
transition. There are 5 step positions Full Left, 1/2 left, Center, 1/2 Right, and Full
Right. Use the Center button to position the fader in the center position.
Headphone PFL – use to activate which deck is to be previewed via the headphones.
*NOTE* - this only works when using the sound configuration of Headphones. Any
other configuration this option does not affect audio output.
6. Hot CUE Points and Smart Cue
Use the four (4) buttons to set or start play from a cue point. The first time that a leftclick on one of these buttons, a cue point will be set. After the cue point is set, at any
time a left click is performed on the corresponding button; the track jumps back to the
set cue point and starts playing the track. To set a new cue point for the hot cue, rightclick the corresponding hot cue button. If wanting to delete a cue point, right-click on
its position indicator in the waveform display, and select “delete”.
With Smart Cue activated (checked) every play of a hot cue will snap the start on
beat. Deactivated and the hot cue will start exactly at the location in the mix where
played.
7. Automix / MixNow – use to activate / deactivate the Automix or MixNow features. See
the Automix / MixNow section for more information about configuring and using these
features.
PCDJ VJ Manual v 5.2
- 20 -
RHYTHM WINDOW
Above the players, a window posts curves corresponding to the two rates/rhythms of the music.
These curves are represented in a waveform, allowing you to see your music. The peaks in the curve
represent beats. In order to synchronize the music, these peaks should occur at the same time. The
present is represented by the feature in the middle of the screen. All on the left was already played,
while what is on the right represents the next seconds of the track.
You can zoom in or zoom out the display using the slider on the left, or the three preset buttons (1, 2,
3) found on the top toolbar.
Below the curves there are small squares, named CBG (Computed Beat Grid), which represent the
position of measures. The large squares represent the beginning of a measure 4:4 time. The CBG is
particularly useful, for example, when mixing a track at the time of an intro where the beat is not yet
present.
In the picture above, you can see that the beats are completely synchronized – it is easy to see that
the peaks (beats) of the music are lined up. However, some music does not have the very obvious
single beat peaks that most house and techno music has. This is when the CBG is very useful. If you
look at the following graphics, it is not exactly clear where the beats should sync up by just observing
the waveform visually.
However, with the help of the CBG, it becomes much easier to synchronize the two tracks:
NOT BEAT MATCHED – CBG NOT ALIGNED
BEAT MATCHED – CBG NOT ALIGNED
BEAT MATCHED – CBG ALIGNED
PCDJ VJ Manual v 5.2
- 21 -
TOP TOOLBAR CONTROLS
1. Headphone level
Volume control for headphone level.
2. Cue/Mix blend
Fade to hear just the cue, cue/mix, or mix signal only in the headphones.
3. Master Volume
Controls main output of program
4. Rhythm panel modifiers
5. CPU Meter
6. Clock
Displays time, and when clicked with mouse can act as a counter.
7. SETUP and Window controls
Provide access to the Setup dialog. See “Setup Settings” section of this manual for more
information. Windows controls provide the Minimize, Maximize, and Close application options.
STATUS MESAGES
VJ can now inform you of what might be happening in the background when you see those high CPU
levels, see the Hard Drive being accessed, or in the unfortunate event that something fails to function
correctly.
The location of the status message is just above the Audio, Karaoke, and Video buttons of the left
navigation panel. Here are a couple of status messages you may see.
Sorting a large list of tracks.
After performing a Recurse on a structure where new files
are found, you would see a countdown of the number of
ID3 tags being read for adding the information to VJ’s
database.
PCDJ VJ Manual v 5.2
- 22 -
CONFIGURATION SETTINGS
VJ is designed to be very simple and easy to use but it is adaptable to match your preferred system
performance.
To make changes to VJ’s configuration, click on the SETUP button in from the top bar. This will bring
you to the “Settings” dialog. The options in the “Settings” dialog can be viewed and edited by clicking
on the corresponding tab.
SOUND SETUP
The “Sound Setup” tab is where the sound card (or device) configuration is set for functioning with VJ.
Inputs – If using timecoded vinyl or CDs to
control VJ, select the appropriate input
configuration from this pull-down list. Choices are
“NONE”, “Single Timcode” for Single control, and
“Timecodes” for Dual Control. Setting up VJ for
Timecode use is covered in detail in the
“Timecode” section of this guide.
Outputs – Select the preferred output
configuration from this pull-down list. Please note
that, depending on your sound card, some output
options may not be available for use. Choices are
“Single Output”, “Headphones”, “External Mixer”
(2 channel output), or “3-Lines Mixer” (3 channel
output).
Sound card(s) – Select the sound card driver
which you would like to use with the VJ software.
Sound card (not shown)– Select the sound card in this pulldown list.
ASIO Driver – Select the ASIO driver to use.
Ultra-latency ASIO – There are two ASIO engines available for VJ to provide better latency support.
Checked is the original ASIO engine that is optimized for very low latency (renamed ultra-latency) and
is still considered the default engine. Some computers have problems with this optimization.
Unchecked is the NEW 'safer' performance level ASIO engine which has less optimization for
environments that have difficulty with the Ultra-Latency engine.
Output Channels – Select the routing of outputs on soundcard when the Outputs dropdown is set to
one of the following choices - “Headphones”, “External Mixer” (2 channel output), or “3-Lines Mixer”
(3 channel output).
PCDJ VJ Manual v 5.2
- 23 -
OPTIONS
The Options settings control the multiple features and actions to accommodate the DJ’s style for
using the VJ application.
Smart BeatTap – When enabled and using the
beat_tap action, it will automatically "snap" to the
nearest plausible BPM and phase. This allows for very
accurate BPM by just tapping 3 or 4 beats, the first tap
will set the phase only, snapping to the nearest beat
(you can tap only once to change the phase or the 4:4
strong beat, for example). One tap will not change the
bpm. Subsequent taps will not change the phase, but
change the bpm to the nearest plausible bpm value.
Crossfader – This option allows you to select the
cross fader curve. There are four different options
including: Full, Cut, Scratch, and Smooth. (other
curves can be set through plug-ins).
Pitch Range – Allows you to change the pitch range
of the pitch slider. Reducing the range of pitch can
increase the precision with which you are able to control the pitch (speed) of the records. Available
ranges are 6, 8, 10, 12, 20, 25, 33, 50% and 100% pitch control.
Allow BPM <80 – Allows adjustment to the BPM Engine’s value range. Disabled the range is set
between 80 and 240. A setting of Smart sets the range for values between 60 and 240.
AutoUpdate – Automatically checks for new versions of VJ (internet connection required).
Charts – Not Currently implemented in PCDJ VJ.
MSN – When activated, this option will allow your MSN Messenger to show the music you are
playing. To take advantage of this feature, you need to make sure that the “what I am listening” option
is on in your MSN Messenger.
Security – This setting prevents you from loading a track on a deck while it is playing. If you select
“Ask”, VJ will prompt you to verify that you, indeed, want to load a track while the deck is playing. If
you select “Always”, VJ will not allow you to load a track to a deck that is already playing. If you select
“None”, the security feature will be disabled.
Tool Tip – Enable or disable the tool tip window. These tips appear when you hover the mouse
cursor over the buttons of the software.
AutoLoad Playlists – Not currently implemented in PCDJ VJ.
PCDJ VJ Manual v 5.2
- 24 -
OPTIONS
AutoSave Unplayed – See page 9 – “AutoSave Unplayed”
Auto Pitch Matching – When loading a song, automatically adjusts the pitch so that the BPM
matches the BPM of the song currently playing.
Auto Gain – This is the auto gain adjustment setting for VJ. The values are:
ƒ Disabled – Use the raw db level of the track as it was recorded, ripped, or normalized
ƒ Auto – normalize the track to a 0db level for play
ƒ Auto+Remember – normalize the track to a 0db level for play if loaded for first time, then
remember the last db gain adjust for next loading of the track.
ƒ Remember – loads the track the first time using the Disabled setting, then remember the last
db gain adjust for next loading of the track
Pitch Reset on Load – If you enable this option, the pitch slider will be reset to 0% every time you
load a track.
EQ Reset on Load – If enabled, this option will reset the equalizer on the deck when you load a new
track onto it.
Auto Cue – If enabled, will advance track position to the first cue point if one exists (or with the first
beat of the song if no cue exists and if “always” is selected) when loading a track.
Auto Headphones – This option allows for automatic switching of headphone cues. If you select “on
load”, the headphone cue will switch the headphone cue when you load a new track. If you select
“always” the headphone cue will switch when you load a new track or scratch a track that is already
playing.
Disengage Beatlock – Once engaged, the Beatlock feature will keep the deck locked to the beat on
the other deck, no matter if you are scratching or changing the pitch on the other deck. Disengage “on
load” or “on switch” will automatically disengage the beatlock feature when the deck is
loaded/switched.
Max Load – Specifies the duration maximum beyond which the track will not be loaded in memory.
Loading tracks which are too long in memory may put a strain on your system performance and
cause VJ to not function properly. This function makes it possible to play long tracks without
overloading the memory of your computer.
Scrolling – Allows reversing the direction of the scrolling rhythm window.
Disc – Allows selecting the spinning rate of the virtual turntables (default: 33 1/3 turns).
Auto-Cross Length – Use this slider to specify the duration of the fade transition time used during
automatic mixing.
PCDJ VJ Manual v 5.2
- 25 -
PERFORMANCE SETTINGS
VJ provides a simple, yet complex; interface for optimizing performance to the capabilities of the
computer based on its specifications. Depending on the system’s resources, some settings will work
better than others. It is recommended that the DJ take time to experiment with the settings in
order to achieve the best performance of their system prior to using VJ in a live performance.
NOTE: When new components (controllers, soundcards, external drive, and software) are added to
the system, performance options may require changing to achieve a new best possible performance
based on the additions or changes to the system.
Presets
Use this slider to select different preset configurations for the parameters below. Shift the “Presets”
slider to the right for “Best Quality” of sound, or shift the slider to the left for “Fastest” performance.
NOTE: Not all systems are able to handle
the HIGHEST setting for “Best Quality”. It
is highly recommended to start at the
“Fastest” preset and work towards the
“Best Quality” setting testing each setting.
Soundcard
Latency – the amount of time it takes for a
device to respond to a command. Latency
makes a significant difference when using
timecode vinyl, CDs, MIDI or external control
devices. The lower the latency setting the more
instantly the software will respond, but the more
likely the DJ will hear glitches and pops if your
computer is not fast enough to process the audio.
NOTE: in ASIO mode, some soundcard drivers
don’t work well with a latency forced by the
software. In such case, use the “Auto” value, and set the latency in the soundcard’s control panel.
Safe Mode – When using a DirectX mode setting (like Simple, Dual, Mono or 4.1), VJ is less likely to
produce glitches and pops if your CPU is momentarily busy. The performance trade off is scratching
and pitch adjustments will use more CPU, especially with advanced algorithms. So, if using advanced
Master Tempo this will probably need to be disabled, unless the computer is very fast.
NOTE: this option has no effect on ASIO or Low-Latency modes
Overclock – This setting can make your computer run faster (especially on laptops) and therefore be
compatible with lower latencies.
PCDJ VJ Manual v 5.2
- 26 -
PERFORMANCE SETTINGS
Scratch – Allows for adjustment to how VJ reacts to scratch motions
Optimize for:
Quality – VJ will more accurately represent how a scratch sounds when moving the
virtual record back and forth
Latency – VJ reacts as quickly as possible but might result in a somewhat more
metallic sound.
Scratch algorithm:
Simple Algorithm – adds no
computational overhead, and will
use a simple interpolation algorithm
to compute the scratch sound
Enhanced Algorithm – uses an
advanced algorithm that mimics the
movement of the needle on the
grooves, to obtain the best scratch
sound possible. A filter size of 11
gives the best quality/CPU ratio,
producing a very good quality while
keeping a low computational
overhead.
48 kHz <-> 44 kHz
Describes how VJ will interpolate between the 48 kHz and 44.1 kHz sample rates. Choosing “Basic
Interpolation” will save some system resources and could improve performance. For better quality
interpolation, choose “Lowpass Filter”. 11 taps is the best quality/CPU ratio.
NOTE: Most commercially available music is recorded at 44.1 kHz (including MP3s) so it is a
good idea to set your soundcard’s output to 44.1 kHz. This will prevent your soundcard from
having to interpolate to different sample rates and will improve performance. Unless you have
worked with different sample rates before, the 44.1 kHz setting should be default for your
soundcard)
PCDJ VJ Manual v 5.2
- 27 -
PERFORMANCE SETTINGS
Master Tempo
The master tempo algorithm controls how VJ changes the pitch of the song without changing its tone
(“Key Lock feature”).
The default “Fast” algorithm takes only a small
percentage of the CPU power, and produces
good results at pitches in the range of -10% to
+10%. For extreme pitching, the fast algorithm
can produce some choppiness. If your computer
is fast enough, this can be corrected by using the
Advanced algorithm option. With the Advance
option, raising the complexity or spatialization of
the algorithm can quickly overflow the systems
CPU’s capabilities.
NOTE: Disable safe-mode for better performance
with the Advance algorithm
PCDJ VJ Manual v 5.2
- 28 -
KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS
VJ provides a quick access capability to all of its parameters through assigning keyboard shortcuts to
a wide assortment of the VJ actions.
From the “Keyboard Shortcuts” tab, VJ provides
a ‘default’ preset collection of shortcuts assigned
to the keyboard.
Shortcuts can be added, changed, or deleted
using the respective buttons. Changes to the
‘default’ presets can be saved as a new preset
collection by using the “Save”.
Using the “Load”, custom preset collections can
be loaded for use.
“Merge” provides the ability to merge multiple
preset collections together.
Shortcut Macros
A shortcut macro is the process of assigning multiple actions to the same key or key combination.
The power of the macro comes from the order they are listed. So open the SETUP dialog and select
the Keyboard Shortcuts tab.
Here is an example of how you can
recreate the ‘Mix Now’ capability using a
multi-action macro.
The actions to be used are auto_crossfade,
play, and select and they are assigned to
the ‘Space’ bar for activation.
auto_crossfade – moves the crossfader
play – activates the play of the track
select – changes which deck is now the
active deck
PCDJ VJ Manual v 5.2
- 29 -
KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS
To build the macro, add the auto_crossfade action first. Select the Add button to get the action
dialog. Hit the ‘Space’ bar to add that to the Key section. Choose the ‘all’ in the left list, then
‘auto_crossfade’ from the middle list. Use the drop-down and select ‘on active deck’. Then click OK.
Repeat this process for ‘play’ and ‘select’ and be sure to choose the ‘on active deck’ from the dropdown option. The ‘play’ and ‘select’ options can be found in the ‘deck controls’ option of the left list.
Now once OK is click for adding each of those actions, VJ
will provide a dialog that states ‘This shortcut is already
assigned. Click Yes to add the new shortcut and build up
macros. Click No to replace the previous shortcut.’ Click
‘Yes’ to build up the macro.
And once each item is added, click ‘OK’ at the bottom of
the SETUP dialog and test shortcut.
In this example the ‘Space’ bar was used and is not the required key in order to make it work. Any
key or key combination can be used as long as all actions are assigned to that key. Also, remember
the power is in the order of the actions. If this macro is configured in a different order the results of
functionality can differ.
REMOTE CONTROL
VJ can be controlled using a wide array of external controllers. The “Remote Control” section of the
Settings menu provides the setup to ‘enable’ VJ to work with the external controller. Once the
controller is connected, start VJ, select the “Setup” and select the “Remote Control” tab and enable
the controller by clicking on the corresponding graphic for the controller. Then select ‘Activate’ from
the pop-up menu. If the controller is properly set up and connected the graphic is highlighted green. If
the controller is improperly connected or disconnected and selected to be ‘Activated’, the graphic will
appear with a red highlight around it. If the controller does not seem to function correctly try
deactivating and activating the controller again to reset the connection.
Most controllers are supported via 2 methods – Native support or MIDI support.
Native Support – a native supported controller can be connected to the computer and then by
selecting the appropriate controller option in the Remote Control tab begin to function without any
additional configuration being set. Native support of a controller does not imply that all of the
controller’s features or functionality will control the corresponding actions in VJ. Most controllers can
be enhanced or expanded to support additional functions through the use of custom coded mappers.
NOTE: Some controllers may require supporting drivers to be loaded before the system recognizes
them, so consult the User Manual for the controller before install.
PCDJ VJ Manual v 5.2
- 30 -
Native Supported Controllers –
PCDJ DAC-2, DAC-3
Denon HC4500, HS5500, HD2500, S1200
Pioneer CDJ-400 CD/MIDI Controller
Vestax VCI-100
Numark iCDX, DMC2, DMC1 (v2), Total Control
Hercules DJ Consoles (DJC MK1,MK2, Rmx, mobile)
Audiophony Virtuality Mix and Virtuality Play
M-Audio Xponent
Behringer BCD2000, BCD3000
D-Vinyl 2020
XP-10
ION iCUE
General MIDI Support –
If using a MIDI controller that is not natively supported, then use
the General MIDI controller option. Like the Keyboard Shortcuts,
MIDI mappings for each parameter can be configured to control
VJ. Click the “Config” button for access MIDI mapping interface.
You will see the “MIDI Config” appear. In this menu options for
creating, loading, saving, merging, and modifying the MIDI
mappings is available. If you would like to add mappings by hand, click on “Add”. Select the
parameter to map from the menu on the left, as well as which deck the mapping will apply to. Then
move the control (on the MIDI controller – knob, slider, etc.) to map to the parameter. VJ will
automatically detect the controller number and map it to the parameter.
CODECS
VJ is able to decode several formats natively with its audio and video decoders. The Codec tab
identifies what file types (by extension) use what specific decoder for play in VJ.
At install, VJ includes the some of the common sound and video file extensions. If, VJ is not already
associated with a specific extension for an audio or video codec then select the ‘Add’ button. Enter
the extension and then select from the several available decoder engines that VJ is able to use as a
decoding engine.
PCDJ VJ Manual v 5.2
- 31 -
Determining Appropriate Selection for a Unique
codec
If VJ’s MP3 or Video decoder is unable to process a
certain file then that unique encoded format (codec)
can be assigned to one of the other supported
decoders.
Ensure the appropriate CODEC for that audio or
video type is installed to the operating system and the
file is playable in one of the supported decoder
applications listed in the VJ Decoder drop-down.
Then assigned that file extension type to that
decoder.
VIDEO
ENABLE / DISABLE – Provides the ability to
have the application’s video engine enabled
or disabled. By disabling the video engine
ALL video features of the application are not
usable and may increase performance for
DJ’s using only the AUDIO features of the
application.
Activate – Turn the video engine on or off.
TV Output – Select the monitor that will
display the video master output.
NOTE: Only Monitors which are part of
the windows desktop can be selected.
If the monitor is not in the list, Open
Windows’ display settings and activate
the ‘Extend desktop on this monitor’ for
the desired monitor.
Use Hardware Acceleration – Use DirectX to
compute and display the video.
NOTE: unless you are using a video card that is fairly old, you shouldn’t turn this off.
PCDJ VJ Manual v 5.2
- 32 -
Linked crossfaders –
This option allows VJ to link to the audio crossfader for
controlling video crossfades. If unlinked (unchecked) the
video crossfade can be controlled using the video
crossfader knob labeled “Cross” underneath the video
screen in FullVideo skin.
Decode while hidden –
Provided with a strong performance computer, VJ can
decode video content even when it is hidden. This will
prevent some jolts that may occur when video content is
brought into the mix with the crossfader.
Activate on load –
Activates the video engine automatically if a video file is
loaded on either deck. If wanting to play just the audio track
of a video, uncheck this feature so the video engine will not be activated.
Link video when dropped on Preview Window – Checking this option will utilize the deck’s video
preview window for linking a video to an audio track.
Hide logo – Checking this option will hide the application logo from the video mix window.
Audio Only Plug-in – Check this option and select the desired plug-in from the drop-down box.
When playing audio-only files, this option will activate the plug-in to act as a visual. Example plug-in
selection is the Sonique visuals.
INFO
The VJ Info tab provides the version number along with
copyright statement for the application. There are three
useful buttons:
Check for Updates: makes and internet query to the VJ
Download Center and checks to see if any updates are
available. [Internet Connection required]
Download Plug-ins: Launches the browser associated
with http request an directs the browser to the ‘Add-ons’
section of the website.
Reset to Factory settings: Reset VJ’s settings back to
the recommended defaults. All configuration tabs are
affected by the change.
PCDJ VJ Manual v 5.2
- 33 -
EFFECTS
VJ features a comprehensive set of audio effects, video effects, and transitions which can be
accessed by clicking the “Effects” tab. The effects list is displayed on the left side of the window and
each of these effects can be activated for both decks. Multiple effects, both audio and video; can be
applied simultaneously.
To use an effect, select the effect in the left panel and activate it for the appropriate deck in the center
panel. This is done by clicking on one of the two “Activate” buttons. The button will light up showing
activated. Deactivate the effect by clicking on the “Activate” button again.
The parameters for the selected effect are displayed on the right panel of the window. The
parameters will change depending on which effect is selected. Adjust the parameters by moving the
faders of the associated parameters.
Effects can also be used from the effects section for the
deck controls. Different effects can be selected using the
pop-up menu. Enable and disable effects by clicking on
the displayed effect title. If using the effects panel on the
deck control, multiple effects can not be activated for that deck – this panel only allows activation of
one effect at a time.
PCDJ VJ Manual v 5.2
- 34 -
VIDEO
In addition to mixing traditional audio, VJ makes it possible to mix video content with the ease and
familiarity of a DJ interface. VJ’s interface provides all the same features to mix, scratch, effect, and
transition video content, just as with audio content. Video files are distinguished in the Browser with a
small movie film graphic icon .
Also, you can link video files to audio files to produce a video enhanced audio combination. Using
either the drag-n-drop preview windows, keyboard shortcut action, or a skin provided link object any
type of supported video file can now be linked with an audio track.
If the installed video card has a TV output or a second output screen, the secondary output can be
specified as the output for full-screen display, instead of the windowed output. The desired output is
specified by using settings in the Settings dialog on the Video tab.
If full-screen output does not appear, check that the output is recognized in Windows display
properties, and that Windows is in a dual monitor mode (not clone). For more information, see the
video card manufacture’s instruction manual.
*NOTE* - When using an 2nd video output, ensure that the device is connected and powered on,
before starting the computer and PCDJ VJ.
PCDJ VJ Manual v 5.2
- 35 -
Video Effects
Similarly to audio effects, video effects are used to transform the video on either deck.
Use the “Video Effects” in the “Effects” panel and activate the desired effect on the specific deck.
Or, select and activate the video effect from the Production Controls underneath the Master Out video
window in the skin.
Select the desired effect using the pull-down menu and then click on the box to activate it. Also, like
the audio effects, only one (1) effect can be activated at a time from this control. For multiple effects
to be activated simultaneously, use the ‘Effects’ panel area.
PCDJ VJ Manual v 5.2
- 36 -
Transition Effects
VJ features many different transitions effects for enhancing the mix from one video clip to another.
From the Effects panel, select the “Video Transitions” section, then select the desired transition. Click
on the “Activate” button to have VJ to perform the selected transition automatically when the mix from
one deck to the other occurs.
From the VJ User Interface, the transition can be selected and activated from the ‘Transition’ button
found just below the Master Output video window.
There are two ways to mix video clips: automatically or manually.
To mix manually, use the video crossfader to go from one video to another. Or, just click on one of
the video buttons on either side of the crossfader for a smooth transition to that deck. And, if the
“Link the Video crossfader” is checked in the Video configuration tab, the skin’s audio crossfader will
crossfader the video when it is move from one deck to the other.
PCDJ VJ Manual v 5.2
- 37 -
Alternatively, VJ will do the video mixing automatically. Most transition effects feature a powerful
“intelligent” algorithm that will process the transition of the video by analyzing what is being done with
the sound (cueing, scratching, crossfading, etc). In order to use the automatic behavior “Activate” the
video transition effect by clicking on “Activate” in the “Effects” page, or by clicking on the transition
title on the user interface.
KARAOKE
In addition to being able to play music and other video content, VJ provides support for playing and
mixing karaoke files. VJ is compatible with MP3+G, WAV+G, WMA+G, OGG+G, and supports the
binding of the CDG files with its MP3 counter parts as one single .ZIP file.
When loaded on the deck, VJ will load the audio track on the deck and display the CDG file in the
video windows. Video effects and transitions can be used with the karaoke tracks as well.
Karaoke Rotation Plug-in
VJ can assist in managing a Karaoke event and post messages to the video output with it’s Karaoke
Rotation Plug-in found in the Video Effects section. The plug-in uses Deck 1 as the Karaoke Deck.
Deck 2 can be used for between song fillers, if necessary.
To activate the plug-in, highlight the plug-in and then select the ACTIVATE button. This will launch
the rotation list and send the designated Bitmap image to the main video output. The LIST button will
display the rotation list if it is closed. The CONFIG button displays the configuration dialog. And, the
NEXT button is used for starting the next song/singer selection.
Plug-in Configuration
ƒ
During Song: Show Text – designate the text to be
displayed during the song by placing a check in the
box and desired text in the text box. Set the screen
positioning of the text by supplying an X and Y
coordinate. Set the font to use by selecting the Font
button.
ƒ
Near End: Show Text – same as the During Song:
Show Text. Set a timeframe that VJ will use to
begin showing the designated text before the
current song ends. Again, an X and Y coordinate
for displaying the text on the screen can be entered.
ƒ
Between Songs
o Show Bitmap – a Bitmap can be used to display a background in between each song
played
o Show Text – use to show information about specials or next song/singer between the
songs. Use the X and Y coordinates for where to display the text.
PCDJ VJ Manual v 5.2
- 38 -
KARAOKE ROTATION PLUG-IN
The available variables to be used with the displayed text are %SONG, %SINGER, %NEXTSONG,
and %NEXTSINGER.
Rotation List Manager
To use the rotation list manager, simply drag
and drop the karaoke track from the VJ Browser
onto the list. The plug-in will ask for a Singer’s
name each time a song is added to the list. If a
singer’s name needs to be changed or added,
then update the Singer text box and pressing
OK to update the Singer information on the
video output.
The songs are displayed by Title, Artist, and
Singer. You can change the order of the list at
any time by drag-n-drop of the track to a new
location in the list. Songs already sung by the
singer are indicated with an asterisk ( * ) by
their name. And an asterisk is added for each
time that song has gone through the rotation.
At the bottom of the list is a check box for
activating the Repeat Playlist option. This
allows for the list manager to keep as a
‘rotation’ list or unchecked the list items will
disappear once added to the deck. The [ >> ] button will send the selected (highlighted) track to the
deck and immediately begin playing the track.
Optimization
In general, video mixing is much heavier in computer resources than audio mixing so certain
optimization may help performance, especially when dealing with full frame rate video (such as DVD
in high definition).
There are several parameters which determine the speed with which VJ decompresses and displays
video content – the size of memory present on your video card, the speed of the graphics processor
(GPU), the speed of the main central processor (CPU), and the access speed of the hard disk.
Another parameter which largely influences performance is the type of file. An MPEG1 format file is
much faster to decompress than a VOB format file. In a similar way, a file with a 320x240 resolution is
much faster to decompress than a file with a 720x576 resolution.
PCDJ VJ Manual v 5.2
- 39 -
By default, VJ decompresses only the content which is visible in the video mix window. This means
that if there are two clips which are playing but only one is visible, VJ will only decompress the video
which is visible. If both video files are shown in the mix window, then VJ will decompress both. This
makes the software perform quicker and also allows it to perform better on slower machines.
However, this may result in small jolts at the time of transitions. If the computer configuration is
sufficiently powerful, we recommend checking the “Decode while hidden” box in the “Video” settings
in the “Config” menu to obtain more fluid transitions.
Also, if using a full-screen output to display the video mix, it is more effective to use a graphics card
which has two outputs, than using two separate cards.
And finally, we recommend the use of an output resolution no greater than the resolution of the video
files. If using higher resolutions, low-resolution content will not look any better but will be using more
computer resources. A resolution of 800x600 should be sufficient if using high-quality DVD video.
PCDJ VJ Manual v 5.2
- 40 -
AUTOMIX / MIXNOW
Using the automix capabilities with VJ can be performed in 3 different scenarios and depending on
the method various elements of the interface, setup settings, and system actions are used.
For all scenarios, we need to look at the amount of time VJ will use to make the transition during the
mixing process. VJ uses a single global setting to control the amount of transition time and this can
be set in the Setup -> Options tab using the Crossfader slider – see page 23. Acceptable values are
0.2 to 16 secs.
Scenario 1 – MIX NOW Situation is Deck 1 is playing a track while Deck 2 sits in wait to be played.
To have VJ mix the two songs at a specific moment, click on the MIXNOW button to activate the
mix_now action. VJ will start Deck 2 and utilize the preset transition time (from the Setup -> Options
tab) to perform the mix. Deck 1 will continue to play until it completes or is stopped by selecting the
Pause/Stop button. The Mix Now action will attempt to use synchronize the mix on beat if both songs
have enough identifiable beat within the prescribed transition time.
Scenario 2 – Mix Next from WaitList Situation is Deck 1 is playing a track and VJ needs to load
and play Deck 2 with the next track in the Wait List.
Like the MIX NOW scenario, VJ will mix the two songs at a specific moment when the action is
initiated and transition the mix for the predetermined crossfade time setting. This scenario requires a
keyboard shortcut to be created for activating the mix_next_sidelist action – see page 28 for creating
a keyboard shortcut. Use the assigned shortcut to activate the mix_next_sidelist action. If the
opposite non-playing deck has a song loaded and it has not been played the action performed is
similar to the mix_now action. If the opposite non-playing deck has a played song loaded, the VJ will
load the next song in the Wait List and perform the mix in the predetermined crossfade time setting.
Scenario 3 – Auto Mix using tracks from the Wait List Use the Wait List like a jukebox and
automatically play the contents in the Wait List from top to bottom.
Load the Wait List with a collection of tracks. And click on the AutoMix button from the VJ user
interface – see page 19/20. VJ loads each deck with the first 2 track listed in the Wait List and begins
playing Deck 1. Using the predetermined crossfade time, VJ will begin playing Deck 2 and transition
the crossfader from Deck 1 to Deck 2 in the prescribed time. Then Deck 1 is loaded with the next
track from the Wait List. This process continues from Deck to Deck until all the songs in the Wait List
are played (empty list) or the AutoMix action is turned off by clicking on the interface button.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In all of these scenarios, VJ simply transitions the crossfader in the pre-determined amount of time
and does not syncronize the bpms of the tracks for a smooth ‘beat on beat’ mix. If this is the desired
type of mix, then it must be performed manually.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PCDJ VJ Manual v 5.2
- 41 -
MANUAL BPM CORRECTION
The Computer Beat Grid (CBG) is calculated automatically when a track is loaded for the first time.
VJ uses powerful algorithms to calculate the BPM and the CBG of music (1 of 2 algorithms can be
chosen - a fast but effective algorithm which works well for techno and house, and a slower algorithm
which is effective on any type of music).
However, in some rare cases, the CBG is not correctly positioned on the beats of the song. In this
case, you can easily carry out a manual correction.
Click on the respective deck’s BPM button – see page 15 [18].
There are several methods to correct the BPM and the CBG:
The simplest method is to beat-match the track with unknown BPM
with a track whose BPM is already known, select the Edit BPM tab,
and then click on "copy from other deck". Alternatively, the BPM
can be typed in the BPM field.
You can also force the re-analyzing of the track using VJ’s BPM
analyzer by clicking on the Re-Analyze button.
From the Edit Grid tab, the traditional method of manually counting
out the beats is also provided using a Tap button. Click on "Manual
Beat Tap" button while the track is playing, in order to approximate
the BPM.
Then, pause the track, advance the track to the downbeat (first
beat), and click on "First anchor". Then advance to the upbeat
(second beat), and click on "Second anchor". Check that the
number of beats displayed corresponds well to the number of beats
between the two anchors.
Then go further in the music, and repeat the "second anchor"
operation if you notice that the beats and the CBG shift. Normally
two or three anchors should be enough to obtain an accurate CBG.
PCDJ VJ Manual v 5.2
- 42 -
LEGAL INFORMATION
http://www.atomixproductions.com
http://www.PCDJ.com
© 2007-2008 Digital 1 Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. PCDJ VJ Logo, Spindle logo and PCDJ are
registered trademarks of Digital 1 Media Inc.
Copyright 1997-2008 Atomix Productions
All Rights Reserved
Number IDDN.FR.001.040012.01.R.C.2000.000.31400.
Trademarks:
PCDJVJ is a registered trademark of Digital1 Media Inc.
iCDX, DMC2, DMC1 (v2), Total Control is a registered trademark of Numark, Inc.
PCDJ DAC-2, DAC-3 is a registered trademark of Digital 1 Audio, Inc. (D1DJ)
Hercules DJ Console (DJC) is a registered trademark of Guillemot Corporation
Denon HC4500 is a registered trademark of D&M Professional / Denon DJ
Pioneer CDJ-400 is a registerd trademark of PioneerDJ
Behringer BCD2000 is a registered trademark of BEHRINGER International GmbH
D-Vinyl 2020 is a registered trademark of Soundgraph, Inc.
XP-10 is a registered trademark of EKS
ION iCUE is a registered trademark of Ion Audio, LLC
Windows and DirectX are registered trademarks of the Microsoft Corporation.
Reproduction of this manual in full or in part with out the express written permission from
PCDJ, Digital 1 Media, or Atomix Productions is prohibited.
PCDJ VJ Manual v 5.2
- 43 -
PCDJ VJ Manual v 5.2
- 44 -